Reflecting on a Year of No Directions

Dec 27, 2024

The famous writer and literature professor, Joseph Campbell, once said: “If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it's not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That's why it's your path.” How true those words feel. However, what the quote doesn’t mention is just how terrifying it is to take those steps, especially when there is no guarantee of “success” and no “how-to” guide. Anyone who has ever walked such a path knows that the road is rarely linear and is inevitably filled with roadblocks, pivots, and unforeseen challenges. So, how do people do it? How do they navigate a path with no directions? How do they traverse the mental challenges that stand in the way of creating a unique path? How do they overcome self-doubt and fears of what other people will think? How do they learn to manage the discomfort of uncertainty and face the fear of failure? How do they learn to build trust in themselves without external validation? What inspires them to keep going when it would be all too easy to quit?

These were the questions that piqued my curiosity when I began writing the “No Directions” blog almost a year ago. I have been profoundly moved by all the individuals that have generously shared their stories with me and talked openly and honestly about their experiences. My hope is that these stories remind you that there are many, many different ways you could build a life and career. May they serve as inspiration for what’s possible when we make the brave choice to traverse the mountains of fear, uncertainty, discomfort, and doubt in service of making our own path.

Thank you to every person who has read and shared this blog, and a special thank you to each and every one of you who graciously shared your story in 2024.

Nick Benton and Ilan Pomerance of musical duo SUM SUN (“Seeking the Sun through the Clouds”)
Visual artist Nathan McClements (“Continuously Repurposing”)
Founder of Fleurs et Sel bakery Lara Adekoya (“Turning a Baking Passion Into a Business”)
Filmmaker, entrepreneur, and Live2 founder McClain Portis (“Building a Company Inside of a Movement”)
Professional cyclist Ryan Standish (“Pursuing the Privateer Path)
Photographer, filmmaker, and Modern Huntsman founder Tyler Sharp (“A Photographer and Filmmaker’s Experience of Entrepreneurship)
Traveling muralist and small business marketer Rebecca Lorenz (“One Step at a Time”)
California Peony Company co-founder Anne Hilton (“Creating a Life Full of Adventure”)
Fishing captain and Sockeye Servings founder Tara Hines (“Learning to Swim Upstream in the Waters of Alaska”)
Chef Jonathan Zaragoza (“Following Your Heart in the Kitchen”)
Fisherman and natural resources investor Brent Lawson (“The Audacity to Follow Your Curiosity”)
TeamUp Therapy co-founders and siblings, Chris and Ashley Moates (“Serve Well, Serve More”)
Artist and COAST Projects founder Billy Kearins (“Life and Work as One Big Project”)
Figurative artist Camille Hunt (“Romanticize Your Life”)
Publishing entrepreneur Meghan Stevenson (“Doubts are Normal but so is Success”)
Hanna Golf founder and writer of Perfect Putt Jared Doerfler (“The Underdog Mentality”)
Freelance writer and digital minimalist Maura Malloy (“Having the Courage to Treat Your Life as a Masterpiece”)
Chef and entrepreneur Phil McDonald (“Navigating a New Chapter”)
Managing director of sports betting at NASCAR Joseph Solosky (“From the US Naval Academy to NASCAR”)
Married couple and Love Logs cofounders Paul Strachan and Heather Emery (“The Camper Van End Game”)
Winemaker and founder of Lagniappe Wines Lisette Hrapmann (“Choosing to do Things that Make You Feel Whole”)
Morningsiders lead singer and philosophy professor Magnus Ferguson (“Left Turns and Hanging Things on the Wall”)
Calm Capital cofounders David Horne and Marty Balkema (“Rejecting the ‘Hair on Fire’ Approach to Business”)
Origami artist, engineer, and physicist Robert J. Lang (“When Origami and Mathematics Collide”)
Buurtzorg founder and CEO Jos de Blok (“Building a Company Based on Autonomy and Trust”)
Slate Milk cofounder Josh Belinsky (“Cultivating Belief, Putting Out Fires, and Selling Chocolate Milk”)
Professional big mountain skier Connery Lundin (“Don’t Die, Have Fun, and Do It with Style”)